The Farmhouse at New Paltz

Somewhere in New Paltz, deep in the middle of winter, when I lost so much I hadn't needed to be carrying to begin with.

I left the city, missing only a few things from my backpack and one playlist on my mind. Aiming to take as little as possible with me as I set out to find proof that nature, stillness, and the sunset could always put a girl back together again. Surrounded by love, this moment felt safe and much like home should be. I didn't wonder about the time or if he texted. I woke up as early as I wanted and bathed until I pruned. I sank into a feeling I so desperately needed and couldn't resist champagne for breakfast or dessert at noon, and didn't want to. It was the way bliss ought to be; simple and connected, I was able to hear the sound of my heart beating as it reminded me of how much life I still had left to seize. Adventure to seek and hands to hold. New faces to kiss and memories

waiting for me to make

anew. Sometimes it feels like I leave a small piece of me everywhere that I go. Walking away with just as much as I've left behind, it's always

all love.

Spending time nestled away in the Hudson Valley's Farmhouse at New Paltz, sipping on something by the fire, reading a book beside the lake at sunrise, laughs - never-ending - and following trails to new destinations are moments I connect to the most. To remind my mind that whatever I'm feeling at the moment, in the city when it's loud and I can't seem to remember where I've placed my phone charger,

wallet, mind

is exactly where I'm supposed to be. And in the farmhouse, on a quiet morning before anyone else was awake, I sat under a morning sky and remembered how good it felt to be somewhere new, worry-free, and with so much gratitude that my heart could burst. I wrote a journal entry that I'll share later; something about being Tied to the Moon or my Return to Love. Either way, it was the first time I actually had something to say in so long. Guessing it's harder to find the words when your mind and heart are becoming reconnected; and despite all the time that can flash before you or all the things you've let go unsaid is a moment sweet and

delicious as caramel.

When it all comes together and you feel like you can glow.

If serenity is what you're after, sunsets are what you chase, and being somewhere between the city and tranquility is where you'd like to spend a long weekend, then your next move is to book The Farmhouse or The Cottage and take a trip just 90 miles north of New York City. The Farmhouse is only a few minutes from the city of New Paltz and equally close to Minnewaska State Park, which essentially provided us with the best of all words. A hideaway worth taking time for.